


HYBRID STRENGTH

by ismellitblue



Series: rolling along [2]
Category: Young Justice
Genre: Gen, a bit violent towards the end but no gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 09:58:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7503988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ismellitblue/pseuds/ismellitblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lex might have originally saved the boy as a way to get back at his father but things changed.He found himself actively doing the one thing he thought he'd never do....parenting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	HYBRID STRENGTH

**Author's Note:**

> This came out of nowhere and simply would not leave my head,soooo here's part two of the rolling along series.

For the first few months after Lex takes Conner from Cadmus, everything is a mess.Members of the Light are circling around him waiting for any sign of weakness.R’as eyes him like he’s sizing up his coffin and Vandal keeps making subtle verbal maneuvers trying to look for weak spots.All this is nothing new of course ,but the intent has changed.They are going for the kill, instead of just testing his defenses.

If there is one thing Lex prides himself in it’s getting out of potentially sticky situations, so he quits the Light before things get too intense.In the past he’d be more than willing to take them on ,but he can’t just think of himself anymore,there’s also Conner to consider.

He sends Vandal a picture of the meteor that gave him his power.The message is clear.

Lex has the knowledge and the means, to do what no one else has been able to do .

Kill him.

Vandal backs off pretty fast after that.

To R’as he throws a destabalising element into one of his Lazarus pits,rendering it useless.The leader of the league of shadows goes back into the darkness surfacing only when necesarry.Other members of the Light just happen to hear that he beat both Vandal Savage and R’as al Ghul ,the details are not provided.All they get is enough to come up with their own scenarios,each more terrifying than the last.

They leave him alone after that, and he focuses on getting Connor better.

When Conner receives his chemotherapy Lex isn’t sure he’s going to make it.The drugs they are injecting him with are so potent they’d kill the entire population of Kansas within a week,but they have to keep going.His soft tuft of hair falls off, and for some reason it bothers Lex more than when he lost his own hair.He has tiny beanies custom made after that.

There are days ,usually between chemo sessions that Lex feels like Conner is going to be alright.Then the whole thing starts again and a cold feeling settles in his chest.He has a bed moved into Conner’s room so that he can sleep next to the baby’s bed.The baby spends most of his days asleep so Lex ends up doing most of his paperwork in the room.The steady beep of the machines helping him concentrate.

He begins talking to Conner without even realizing it.Running business proposals by him and telling him about his latest plans for Superman.When he’s done with all that he reads aloud.He’d briefly considered reading The Art of War but had quickly scratched it out.Instead he started reading Warrior Angel.Sometimes he’d look up from reading and he’d find a pair of bright green eyes looking at him.At first they didn’t stay open for very long, but as the weeks pass, they not only stayed open longer but they were also more alert.

By Conner’s second birthday, he’s been in remission for over a year and Lex makes sure to rub that fact into his father’s face, whenever the old man makes an appearance.He shows no signs of kryptonian super powers ,a fact Lex is both proud of and disappointed by.

In the early days, he’d told the world about his son’s existence after catching the JJL spying on him.He’d called a press conference where he’d explained about his newborn son’s illness.He’d shared a few photos of him and that had been enough to ward off the vultures (both spandex wearing and camera wielding).

Lexcorp’s stock markets had been off the roof that week.

No one questioned him further in trying to find the surrogate ' _mother_  'who remained anonymous , especially after the completely unrelated _accidents_  befell those who did .No one ever found what the last story they were working on was about,so he and Conner remained safe from scrutiny.

The changes are so slow that Lex doesn’t notice them at first,by the time he does it’s too late to do anything but go along with them.

He starts finishing most of his work at the penthouse so he can see Conner.He gets used to a tiny body flinging itself at him when he returns home from business trips.He calls at Conner’s bedtime if he’s away on business and reads him Warrior Angel.

Once it’s clear that Conner has a genius level I.Q, he begins teaching him at home but still sends him to daycare to better learn how to manipulate/interact from a younger age.He accepts terrible looking drawings and frames them.His presents go from being the most expensive things money can buy to handmade macaroni bracelets.He somehow finds himself knowing that his son’s favorite channel is no signal and an array of other useless information he can’t get rid of.

The most disconcerting thing about the whole raising Conner experience, is the way the boy looks at him.There is no hate in his eyes,it’s like seeing Clark’s emotions looking at him through Luthor eyes.Which brings Lex to another thing he’s discovered,his son is…. _nice_.Despite him subtly pushing the kid towards the opposite end,he’s genuinely nice.

That trait had worried him at first,but Conner had abated those worries by his masterful dealing with a wannabe bully.None of the other adults had been able to tell how the kid had wound up running around in his underwear screaming about jell-o monsters.The boy hadn’t told anyone what had happened, too traumatized to talk.Lex had only found out about Conner’s involvement when he’d gone through the kid’s school bag and found his plans in a notebook.

He’d plotted the entire thing in crayon and had even added pictures for effect.

Lex had been so proud, he’d had several copies made and used the plans as a screensaver.His son’s very first sinister plot.

Not all days are good days however.Lex has tried his best to shield Conner from the public eye and from both heroes and villains but it doesn’t always work.A week after Conner’s sixth birthday Proffesor Ivo attacks.Lex had known that Ivo was still alive but he hadn’t kept too many tabs on him.He sorely regrets that decision as he runs behind Mercy and Chastity as they clear a path for him and Conner.

There are MONQIs and superheroes everywhere they turn.Lex pays them no mind as he half drags half carries Conner to their escape car. They’ve almost made it when the car bursts into flames.A glance back reveals Amazo going against Superman and striking him with his own powers.

Of all the days to bring Conner to Gotham ,Lex just had to pick the one when a fellow super-villain decides to attack.

MONQIs surround them as they try to look for another route.Mercy and Chastity fire at them repeatedly but they keep coming.Some of them manage to land on his arm and leg and he feels his grip on Conner slip.

“Father!”

He manages to throw off the two MONQIs that have him and is just about to run back to Conner and the girls when he feels a presence behind him.He can tell by the slight widening of Mercy’s eyes and the absolute fear in Conner’s that it’s Amazo.He turns slowly keeping his face blank as his mind tries to come up with possible ways to disable the robot.

Amazo raises his arm and he can see the heroes turning towards them.They won’t make it in time,that much he can tell as the hand lowers.He finds himself wondering if his healing ability can withstand decapitation.

The hand never makes contact with his neck though,Amazo jerks once and all of a sudden he’s flying across the impromptu battlefield cut into several different pieces.Lex looks around at the heroes,the last time he checked none of them had that kind of power.The MONQIs let out terrifying shrieks and head towards something behind him.

He turns and something akin to fear swells in his chest as he sees who they’re headed towards.

Conner.

Mercy and Chastity are too far to get proper shots and even if they could the MONQIs are far too many.Conner isn’t even trying to run he’s just rooted to the same spot.The monkeys descend upon him and Lex can feel his world collapsing around him.

Proffesor Ivo is going to die.No…death will be too easy.his specialists are always looking for new test subjects.Perhaps he could hand him over to the Joker,he’d…

His frantic revenge plots are cut shot when the realizes something.The MONQIs have stopped in mid-air.Conner is curled up ,head on his knees and the MONQIs have stopped.All of them start crumbling as Conner begins to cry.

Everyone is quiet,they are all staring at the boy in the middle of the carnage.Superman looks unnerved and Batman’s eyes have narrowed suspiciously.Lex pays them no mind as he heads towards his son.

Two meters from the boy some sort of invisible barrier blocks his path.This is most definitely some form of telekinesis,Lext thinks as he feels the barrier.

He calls out but Conner is evidently too distraught to hear him.

“Conner…Conner,look at me”Lex hits the barrier with a fist,his finger breaks and he feels it reset itself.

The action draws the boy’s attention and Lex feels the barrier disappear. He instantly rushes towards his son and picks him up.He steps over the robots,doing his best to avoid eye contact with the heroes.Perhaps if they,are swift about it they can leave before the heroes get over their shock.

Luck, as always ,is not on his side.

A blue cape swirls and Martian Manhunter’s niece is floating in front of them.All the heroes are suddenly surrounding them. Staring at Conner as though they want to snatch him and make a run for it.Lex tightens his hold minutely and puts on his best politician face.

It’s time to smooth talk his way out of his most important negotiation to date.

Saving his son from the clutches of do-gooders.


End file.
